Install wordle with Homebrew

Project links

• Homepage

Commands and aliases

• wordle

Project history

The self-hosted stagit log records the initial commit on 2022-02-16, followed the same day by the addition of the algorithm that checks whether a guess matches the answer and prints color-coded feedback. The README credits acagastya for implementation and sahiba for the O(n) color-code algorithm.

The February 2022 commit log shows a short burst of refinement: README and install instructions on 2022-02-17, rejection of repeated guesses and code refactoring later that day, separation of possible answers from the dictionary on 2022-02-20, and a 2022-02-26 change to stop showing the answer by default.

Adoption history

There is little evidence of broad adoption beyond packaging and the upstream self-hosted repository, so the history should be treated as niche. Its value is mainly as a compact packaged terminal adaptation of a cultural moment rather than as a large independent game project.

The original Wordle context is much larger: Josh Wardle publicly released Wordle in October 2021; it spread virally after shareable emoji results appeared; and The New York Times acquired it in January 2022. This CLI appeared within weeks of that surge.

How it is used

The README documents building with `make` or `go build -o wordle src/main.go`, then running `./wordle`. It notes that the game uses English words and ANSI color codes for terminal feedback.

The source tree is maintained in a traditional email-patches style: the README names dev, prod, and master branches, explains that master exists for stagit output, and asks contributors to email patches to the maintainer.

Why package nerds care

As a package, this is a tiny example of how quickly viral browser games get translated into terminal culture. It offers no large ecosystem, but it is exactly the kind of small, inspectable CLI game that package managers often preserve after the wider trend has moved on.

Timeline

• 2021-10: The original Wordle is publicly released, according to Wikipedia.
• 2022-01: The New York Times acquires Wordle, according to Wikipedia.
• 2022-02-16: wordle-cli receives its initial commit and first color-checking algorithm commit.
• 2022-02-17: README, install instructions, repeated-guess rejection, and refactoring are added.
• 2022-02-20: The possible-answer array is separated from the dictionary.
• 2022-02-26: The game stops showing the answer by default.
• 2022-02-28: README typos are fixed in the latest visible stagit log entry.

Related projects

• Wordle, the original browser game by Josh Wardle, is the direct inspiration.
• Other Wordle clones and terminal games form the broader ecosystem, but this package's own sources do not document a specific downstream community.

Sources

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wordle
• https://git.hanabi.in/wordle-cli
• https://git.hanabi.in/wordle-cli/file/README.html
• https://git.hanabi.in/wordle-cli/log.html